Books & Comics

Salman Rushdie’s Bewilderment at Snapchat Inspired Him to Write Science Fiction

Salman Rushdie is getting a lot of buzz for his fantastical new novel Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. And talking to the New York Times, he says he’s always loved science fiction—but he was inspired to try the genre now because of a sense that the world is turning upside down. Rushdie tells…

This poem about science fiction is a brilliant look at genres, and what it’s like to imagine how the world could be different. And several phrases from Anne Boyer’s “Science Fiction”will be stuck in my head for ages. It’s short—go read it!

LIGHTSPEED Presents: “Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World” by Caroline M. Yoachim

io9 is proud to present fiction from LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE. Once a month, we’ll be featuring a story from LIGHTSPEED’s current issue. This month’s selection is “Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World” by Caroline M. Yoachim. You can read the story below or you can listen to the podcast. Enjoy! Image © 2015 by…

The Final Discworld Book Is Bittersweet For Many Reasons

The latest Discworld book, The Shepherd’s Crown, doesn’t just have the task of wrapping up the story of Tiffany Aching, trainee witch. It’s also the very last Discworld book, since author Terry Pratchett sadly passed away earlier this year. The good news is, this is a solid ending to both stories. Some minor spoilers ahead…

The Martian Had It Easy Compared to the Shipwrecked Scientists of Venus

Sorry, Mark Watney. You may be the star of Andy Weir’s The Martian, but Mars is a tropical vacation compared to Venus, where Captain Pauline Manashe and her crew find themselves in Rick Loverd and Huang Danlan’s new comic Venus, due out this December from Boom Studios. Here’s the official synopsis: In 2150, Earth’s resources…

Marvel’s First Native American Hero Is Getting A Standalone Comic Series

Although he’s not had his own comic since the ‘70s, Red Wolf is coming back to Marvel in a big way. Not only has the hero been making his way through Secret Wars at the moment, for the first time in nearly 40 years, he’ll have his own series—one with art provided by a Native…

Some of the Greatest Writers of Dialogue (And What We Can Learn From Them)

It’s a sad fact that, in fiction, characters occasionally have to speak. That speech can be stilted, boring, and utilitarian, or it can be something that the readers look forward to. There are ways of making it the latter, and we’ll look at authors who have mastered them. Garth Ennis: Making Each Character Sound Different…

18 Marvel Superheroes and Villains That Desperately, Desperately Need Action Figures

Hasbro has made hundreds of Marvel action figures over the years, but when you’re dealing with a comic universe of thousands, there are plenty of deserving heroes and villains who can slip through the cracks. Here are a dozen and a half Marvel characters—some obscure, some overdue, and some shockingly excluded—who need the toy treatment…

The “All-New, All-Different Hulk” that Marvel’s been teasing for weeks that everyone has always assumed would be Amadeus Cho? Well, it’s Amadeus Cho. Still, it’s very cool to have a Korean-American character join the front ranks of Marvel’s superheroes, in a comic drawn by Korean-Americans (Greg Pak and Frank Cho) to boot! Also, Amadeus Cho…

Congratulations Don DeLillo! The indispensible author of postmodern/slipstream novels (with the occasional foray into straight-up science fiction) is receiving a lifetime achievement award from the National Book Foundation. To celebrate, here are Noma Bar and Dutch Uncle’s DeLillo cover designs. Contact the author at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @CharlieJane.

Despite What Ignorant People Say, Terry Pratchett Is Destined For Enduring Fame

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer probably won’t be read 100 years from now, argues The Prestige author Christopher Priest. But Stephen King and J.K. Rowling have a decent shot at posterity. Also: Terry Pratchett, whose final Discworld book just came out, has an excellent chance at sticking around. Priest’s blog post is worth reading in its…

What Happened When I Set Out To Celebrate Science Fiction From Around the World

It’s hard to put my finger on the exact moment the idea for the Apex Book of World SF series first crystallised, but the seeds for it were sown long before. I grew up on a kibbutz in Israel, and even as a child I was drawn to fantastical works, many translated from Europe: not…

The 10 Most Unfilmable Books (That Absolutely Must Be Made Into Films)

One of the best parts of science fiction and fantasy books is that they let our minds go to places where reality can’t follow. Recently creators havetaken an interestin visually showing us these impossible places, and we love it. Here are 10 books that we think can’t be put on film, but we’re hoping that…

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You Can’t Afford to Miss in September!

The summer beach reads are finished—but the book party is just getting started! This month’s science fiction and fantasy must-reads include Terry Pratchett’s final Discworld novel, plus new books from Stephen Baxter, Seanan McGuire, Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood. And Star Wars and Star Trek! Xeelee: Endurance by Stephen Baxter Baxter has been busy with…

When Book Research Means 250 MPH Winds, A Crash Helmet and Goggles

You know that moment where you feel like a good breeze could lift your feet from the ground? You lean into it a little. You might even unbutton your coat to let the wind fill the cloth. Sometimes you see a bird circling the drafts (it’s usually a buzzard, or a hawk) and if you’re…

In Jonathan Franzen’s New Novel Purity, the Internet Is the Villain  

Is Jonathan Franzen trolling us? The Great Literary Curmudgeon famously detests the internet, and in his latest novel, Purity, the internet plays a central role to the pulpy plot: It’s the villain. (Spoilers ahead. A lot of them.) Franzen’s protagonist is a capital-M Millennial called Pip. (Full name: Purity. I know.) She’s recruited to work…

RIP Oliver Sacks: 7 Must-Read Books and Stories About Our Beautiful Brains

In the past day you may have seen the internet lighting up with appreciations for the writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks. He died yesterday at age 82, leaving behind a lifetime of illuminating writing that helped us to understand our own brains as beautiful, imperfect machines. Here are a few of our favorite books and…

io9 Book Club Reminder: Meet Sept. 1 To Discuss Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora!

Just a quick reminder—the io9 book club is meeting on Tuesday to talk about Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel Aurora. In the meantime, here’s a video of Robinson talking about the ideas behind the book. Contact the author at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @CharlieJane.

The Incredible Hulk Was Inspired By A Woman Saving Her Baby 

Here’s a bit of trivia for you: when he was coming up with an idea for a new comic, art Jack Kirby witnessed a woman lift a car to get her child out from under it. The moment helped inspire one of his most famous creations: the Incredible Hulk. The interview, between Kirby and Gary…

This Is The Grumpiest Batman Figure Ever Made

I mean, grumpiness is part and parcel of being the Batman. Darkness. No parents. Being called “The Dark Knight” means grumpiness is part of the job. But my god, the look on this figure’s face is so comically brooding that it looks like Batman’s just having the biggest sulk of his life. The figure—dubbed “Survival…